hairpin

1 of 2

noun

hair·​pin ˈher-ˌpin 

1

: a pin to hold the hair in place

specifically : a long U-shaped pin

2

: something shaped like a hairpin

specifically : a sharp U-shaped turn in a road

hairpin

2 of 2

adjective

: having the shape of a hairpin

a hairpin turn

also : having hairpin turns

a steep hairpin road

Examples of hairpin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

County plans called for a bridge nearly 1,200 feet long and roughly 400 feet above the river, eliminating several of the hairpin turns that lead to the old crossing. — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2026

Ninth overall at the start of the day, the Austrian crashed heavily on a hairpin bend at the start of the stage. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Adjective

Like many shy people, Seydoux seems to be most at home in her own thoughts — and to speak to her is to enjoy the hairpin turn, the unexpected approach. — Daniel D'addario, Variety, 18 May 2026

This highway is one of the world’s most dangerous roads, with hairpin turns, narrow and steep descents and high risk for mudslides and rockslides. — Catherine Garcia, TheWeek, 28 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1771, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1887, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hairpin

noun

hair·​pin

-ˌpin

1

: a U-shaped pin to hold the hair in place

2

: something shaped like a hairpin

especially : an extremely sharp turn in a road

hairpin adjective

Medical Definition

hairpin

noun

hair·​pin ˈha(ə)r-ˌpin, ˈhe(ə)r- 

variants also hairpin loop

: a region in single-stranded RNA or DNA that is double-stranded due to pairing between purine and pyrimidine bases in adjacent sequences of the RNA or DNA that are complementary and inverted